OKX Card data shows crypto is paying for everyday life in Europe

OKX Card users in Europe spent mostly on groceries, restaurants and other routine purchases in the product’s first month, according to transaction data shared Wednesday.

In the first month of use across the European Economic Area (EEA), grocery stores and supermarkets accounted for 26% of all OKX Card transactions, while restaurants and fast food together made up 18%, ahead of travel and online marketplaces, according to the data.

The analysis covers settled purchase transactions made with the OKX Card in the EEA between Jan. 28 and Feb. 26, across the top 20 merchant types by transaction count, volume or unique users, the company said.

A spokesperson from OKX told Cointelegraph the dataset spans all EEA markets where the card is live, and that the snapshot captures the "majority of daily spending behaviors and any high-value outliers,” including categories such as utilities, while excluding peer-to-peer transfers.

OKX’s numbers show distinct national patterns behind the headline averages. In France, for example, bakeries represent 5% of OKX Card transactions compared with 2% across the EEA, highlighting the country’s boulangerie and café culture.

Spending habits by country. Source: OKX

In Germany, 30% of transactions occurred on online marketplaces, more than double the EEA average of 13%, while the Netherlands recorded 37% of transactions in supermarkets, the highest grocery share in the dataset.

Related: OKX launches EU stablecoin payment card via regulated issuer Monavate

Poland stands out for small-ticket, in-person usage, with 16% of OKX Card payments at convenience stores and around 9% at fuel stations, both above the EEA averages.

The spokesperson said that swapping fiat for crypto in everyday payments is a newer behavior, arguing that the data challenges the stereotype of crypto cards being used mainly for luxury items, and instead points to groceries and coffees bought by “everyday people.”

The company said country-level differences largely reflect existing cultural habits, but argued they show stablecoin-funded card payments starting to displace traditional cards in customers’ day-to-day routines, not just in occasional big-ticket purchases.

Part of broader trend in Europe

Broader market data suggests OKX is not alone in its findings, with other crypto card providers in Europe reporting similar patterns of low-value, everyday transactions.

A 2025 Cex.io report found that roughly 45% of crypto card transactions in Europe were for amounts under 10 euros ($11.75) and that around 40% of such card spend happened online, nearly double the euro-area average share of online card payments of about 21%.

Separate Brighty data reported by Cointelegraph in April showed that Spain accounted for about 36% of retail transactions and 25% of total volume in Circle’s euro stablecoin EURC between 2025 and the first quarter of 2026, with an average payment size of around 49 euros ($58), indicating stablecoins are already being used there for everyday purchases and peer-to-peer transfers.

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